Part 1

Truth

Chapter 1

Lost in the Darkness

Rain started pouring over the mountains where Jodi was hiding behind a massive boulder. The sky above was dark, and a little bit of snow fell on the highest peaks off in the distance. It may have been early summer, but the weather definitely didn't reflect that reality.

Hugging herself and rocking back and forth, Jodi shivered, and sobbed while she hid there. "John! Clark! Pete! Somebody help me…"

Jodi's fangs still poked out of her gums, because she was nearly starved. Her sunburns from earlier, when she helped John set up the funeral pyres, hurt like hell on top of everything else. At that moment, she felt betrayed by the universe. She was alone in the darkness, and no one was coming to help.

Looking up at the sky, she blinked away the raindrops that fell on her face. Remembering her dream in Luther's shack, she screamed, "Castiel! You said I would be redeemed! I saved Clark like you wanted! This isn't what redemption looks like! I'm still… A monster."

Hanging her head, Jodi sobbed even louder. She knew she was dying, since she couldn't even catch animals to drink blood from. The situation seemed hopeless.

After about an hour or so, she heard the sound of an animal snorting. It was loud enough that it scared her, causing her to glance up and brush her wet, tangled bangs away from her eyes. To her shock, she was staring at a massive, snow-white mountain goat, with giant horns towering up over its head. The beast was chewing on something as its hoofs stamped closer, but then it stopped to stare at her.

Listening to its heartbeat, Jodi stood up and slowly hobbled over to it. The goat didn't move; it simply stared at her as she got closer, but then it turned away from her, so she was only seeing the side of its body.

Holding up her hands, Jodi whispered, "Hey, buddy… Aren't you a little far south? Don't worry… I won't bite too hard."

Putting her hands in the goat's fur, she bit down on its neck, causing it to yelp. As she drank, she was surprised by how quickly it healed her injuries and filled her belly. When she was done, she wiped the blood away from her mouth, and backed away staring at her arms. Right before her eyes, Jodi's sunburn magically vanished. When she looked up at the goat, it turned and stared at her again, still chewing, but then the wound on its neck magically healed too.

Staring at the goat wide-eyed, Jodi gasped. "What? How?!"

Turning away from it, she put a hand over her eyes, just as a glowing white light surrounded the beast. Looking up at the illuminated rocks all around her, she turned and shielded her eyes with her hand, just like in the dream. When the light faded, she saw Castiel standing there in his blue suit and tie, while the rain poured heavily on him. The mountain goat, it seemed, had simply disappeared.

"Castiel?" Jodi asked, feeling confused. "Am I dreaming again?"

Walking over to her, the angel said, "No, you're very much awake this time. I'm here to help."

Brushing her wet hair away from her eyes again, her bottom lip quivered as she spoke. "Can you… Can you cure me?"

Castiel shook his head. "Unfortunately, I cannot."

"Why not?!" Jodi cried, pointing at him. "You're a freaking angel!"

Tilting his head a little, Castiel frowned and looked at her with sad, glistening eyes. "Curing you requires the power of an archangel. I can only smite you or heal your injuries."

Burying her face in her hands, Jodi started sobbing again, so the angel put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jodi. Don't give up hope yet."

Looking up at him again, her face wet from crying, she shook her head. "How am I supposed to have hope? I'm still a vampire!"

Pulling his hand away, Castiel sighed. "There is a way to cure you, but you need to trust John and Clark. They will find it very soon."

"How?" Jodi asked.

Staring blankly at her, Castiel said, "The cure has been right in front of them the entire time."

Jodi was confused. "What the hell does that mean?"

Putting his hand on her shoulder again, Castiel said, "Close your eyes and hang on. I'll take you somewhere safe."

Doing as she was told, she felt a surge of energy go through her whole body, but when she opened her eyes again, she was standing down in the valley by the ruins of Luther's hideout, with the angel's hand still resting on her shoulder. The rain was coming down lighter, and when Jodi listened, she could hear the crackling of fire.

"Where are we?" she asked.

Castiel looked past her with an expressionless face and pointed. "John's alive and well. He's over there."

Hugging him, Jodi said, "Thank you!"

Instead of hugging her back, he just stood there like a statue. "Go now. I have other places to be."

Stepping back, Jodi stared at him until he vanished, and she could've sworn she heard the sound of wings flapping. Turning around, she ran through the woods, and came out into the clearing where John's funeral pyres were still burning.

Dean only had to wait in the weapons room for about an hour before Lex returned. He was in one of his usual business outfits, so when Dean glanced up at him, he figured he was gonna head back to the plant after they talked.

When he saw the briefcase in Lex's hand, he chuckled. "Hey, Lex, what's in the briefcase?"

Lex smiled. "Illegal contraband."

Dean snorted with laughter. "Hilarious. You gave the kid some comic books, I'm guessing."

Walking over to the fireplace, Lex set the briefcase on the mantle, removed his business jacket, and plopped down next to Dean. "I figured giving him my favorite copies of Warrior Angel might lift his spirits."

Dean turned towards Lex and smiled, "I'm sure it did. So… How did it feel learning the truth about Clark?"

Lex chuckled. "I'm just glad I wasn't going crazy. All this time, I was certain I hit him with my car, but sometimes I doubted myself."

Dean made a duck face expression, and then he laughed. "Did he tell you how me and Sam learned his secret?"

Lex shook his head. "No."

"Harriet knocked him on his ass with a flail," Dean said, as he gestured towards the medieval weapons all around them with his hand. "I thought he was screwed, but then… The crazy son of a bitch sat up! Abilities or no abilities, Clark was lucky. He should've been seeing the pearly gates!"

Lex laughed. "Well, if he can survive getting hit by a car at sixty miles an hour, I doubt a ghost with a flail is gonna do much."

Dean smirked. "Right. Anyway, I have a favor to ask if that's okay."

"Name it," Lex said.

Rubbing his hands together anxiously, Dean proposed his idea for a little road trip. "My dad's in trouble, so he wants me to find Sam. I'm supposed to find Harvelle's Roadhouse in Nebraska and ask for Ellen. Clark said you knew her, so I was wondering…"

Lex chuckled. "You want me to ride up there with you?"

Dean nodded. "If you got the time."

Passing a hand over his eyes, Lex sighed. "I'd love to, but I still have a lot of things to take care of at the plant. When I get the time though, definitely."

Frowning, Dean said, "Unfortunately, this might be a time sensitive thing. Sam could be getting tortured by demons for all I know."

Pausing to think for a moment, Lex said, "Let me talk to Gabe Sullivan. I'm sure I can figure out something."

Dean smiled. "Thanks. So, how about we stop by the Talon? My treat!"

Lex grinned. "You're not too hung over for lunch?"

Dean laughed. "I didn't drink last night, man! I slept in Clark's loft."

"How are you gonna pay for it?"

Dean made another duck face expression and took his wallet out of his pants pocket. "I helped Clark with the chores for a bit yesterday, so I got part of his allowance."

Lex laughed at that, but then he was finally ready to go get something to eat. He ended up putting his business jacket back on before following the Impala into town in his Porsche. Riding with Dean would've been more fun, but alas, he still had to go back to work.